Watchman Nee (1903–1972)

Watchman Nee's great love and passion for God are evident in this book, leading me to believe I will read from him again. Yet, I found it difficult to get behind this one. His writing style was rambly and disjointed in the early chapters (perhaps to be expected from self-described "musings"). His approach to the cross was heavily rooted in penal substitution, epitomizing the view that N.T. Wright so frequently criticizes. He was thoroughly modern, approaching many topics from the angle of show more oughtness and guilt that would have been better served from the angle of life. There is a place for this sort of voice, though I would not want to stay long at it, as the churches have fallen into legalism all too often through this sort of perspective. I did very much appreciate the chapter on borrowed experience, which was a few chapters from the end of the book. show less

In this 3 volume series, Nee covers a lot of ground. The first half of Vol 1 sets up the basis for his understanding of Man. This is based on his belief that Man is made of 3 parts: spirit, soul, and body. This "holistic" or "complimentarian" trichotomy view was also held by evangelicals such as Scofield and Chaffer, but it's not the prevalent view. He uses reasonable scriptural arguments to back this view and though I don't necessarily agree, I don't see anything wrong or opposed to show more standard evangelical views either. In any case, with a little mental work, one can adopt the other sections to a more conventional dichotomist/ dualistic view. It's a framework for understanding more important principles. The problem is, most people get hung up on the framework and miss the real lessons and Biblical truths he was conveying. I've read some reviews that said that he supports a view of Platonic-style antagonism between spirit and body (flesh). After going through these books, nothing is further from the truth. He believes God made man of spirit, soul, and body and IT WAS GOOD.

While all the sections proved profitable, the sections on the Mind and Will with the powerful, unequivocal instruction on spiritual warfare are vitally important for today's believers. Coming from a charismatic/ Pentecostal background, I've found many brethren are not inclined to test the spirits. Nee gives strong Biblical support for recognizing the demonic and then regaining ground for the Kingdom. Much of the book is a strong call for a personally active Christian and rejecting passivity as a lazy surrender to the enemy. The old adage - the devil will find work for idle hands applies to minds, too. Your mind is the primary battlefield in spiritual warfare. If you continue to dwell on bad things, you are surrendering ground to the enemy who hates you. In spiritual warfare, there are no tactical retreats: every bit of surrendered ground is a new beachhead to attack more of you. "Here I am!" is the cry of an actively obedient will.

My only problem is that much of the book is spent moderating extremes. ( On the one hand... On the other hand... On the other other hand) in an effort to forestall those who would push a doctrine to heretical extremes.

As with any human author, there will be things I don't agree with, but regardless, Nee's work makes you think and dig into your Bible. I didn't detect anything that fell outside the general evangelical mainstream. He's imminent, premillennial, pre-trib, once-saved/ always saved, intermediate heaven, Bible alone, faith alone, etc. Reading this, I read his position as supporting total depravity, but others (maybe from other books?) say he did not support that view. show less

I first read the Normal Christian Life in 1982. At the time, it seemed like a good book. I was wrong... it is a fantastic book. I know of no other book which does as a complete a job of explaining how Romans 5-8 plays out in our lives. Anyone who reads and understands this book will find themselves freed to follow God wholly. Too often we try to please God through our own efforts... this never works. The start and finish of life is God's gracious love.

This book was astonishing! There is so much fresh wisdom here with teachings and insights to the Scriptures that I've never heard before. I am still digesting so much. I loved the way the author could communicate complex ideas so simply. He was not concerned with intricate or impressive prose but rather reaching those who are struggling with the basic Christian walk.

Having grown up a Christian, I have been exposed to much imperfect doctrine. Some errors are so ingrained, I no longer show more recognize them. This book helped me grasp and hopefully correct multiple incorrect assumptions. It was like a breath of fresh air to read and I sometimes felt that spiritual burdens were evaporating.

I will definitely come back to this one again and again. show less